Opinion: KCCI offers opportunity to shape our city’s future

If you’ve been following local headlines, you know the capital city isn’t exactly awash in sunshine and rainbows. Violent crime, federal scrutiny and ethical questions loom over our town like summer storm clouds threatening to unleash their fury.

Rather than cowering in a corner, why not look for opportunities to make Tallahassee the place we want it to be? Some of us may lack the ability to directly impact our more serious challenges, but there are still plenty of ways to pitch in.

The Knight Creative Communities Institute holds a proven track record for moving the needle. For the past 10 years, KCCI has equipped teams of “Community Catalysts” to bolster the Big Bend’s “sense of place” as a means of attracting and retaining young professionals – a driving force behind thriving economies. The evolution of Gaines Street, Cascades Park, Midtown and other districts can be traced back to the quiet, steady labor of those involved in KCCI.

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KCCI EnCompass team members and others have worked to design and paint the Midtown mural.(Photo: Ashley White/Democrat)

Now recruiting for its 2018 volunteer Catalyst class, the nonprofit has set its sights on fusing “town and gown” in hopes of creating a culture that embraces college students and encourages them to plant roots here long before they turn their tassels.

Some graduates leave Tallahassee due to the scarcity of competitive-paying jobs in their industry. For others, at least anecdotally, sticking around feels as though they’ve somehow settled for less – even if they’ve landed a stable position in their field of study.

When I moved to Tallahassee in 2001 to attend Florida State, my peers and I were convinced this backwoods college town had nothing for us beyond graduation. But during my freshman year, I met the man I would eventually marry, and much to my dismay, the Indiana native and Purdue graduate found our corner of the country quite charming.

KCCI was instrumental in getting the Discovery area at Cascades Park built.(Photo: Kay Meyer/Special to the Democrat)

Fast-forward a few years, and this big-city girl with big-city dreams found herself living the small-town life – happily married but grudgingly building her career at a budding small business.

Shortly thereafter, I heard about KCCI. Resigned to stay a while and determined to make a difference, I applied and was accepted into the first Catalyst class. Ten years, three kids and two jobs later, I’m still living here – and loving it.

Now as a business owner who hires interns and recent grads, I watch many of them progress through the same internal dilemma. It shouldn’t be such a struggle. College students should arrive in Tallahassee excited about the prospect of permanence. We need to reach them early and often, showing them all that Tallahassee has to offer socially, culturally and professionally, and empowering them to contribute in meaningful ways.

If you’re nodding in agreement, I encourage you to visit KCCItallahassee.com and apply to become a Catalyst before the Nov. 3 deadline. Uniting with a diverse group of strangers to pursue a shared purpose will challenge and change you in ways you never imagined. It’s work, but it’s worth it.

#IHeartTally is the current KCCI catalyst project.(Photo: Courtesy Colin Abbey)

And while no single initiative will solve all of our city’s woes, neither will sitting on our hands. If we want our community to thrive, we must take ownership of it. We must choose to play an active role in shaping our future.

And when the storms pass, we’ll be stronger for it.

Stacey Getz is the chief strategy officer and managing partner at the Taproot Agency. She was a member of the first KCCI catalyst class and serves on the KCCI Advisory Board.